* * *

    “Ah, right. Youngest, did you hear?”

    “Hear what?”

    “Deokbae-hyungnim got rejected again.”

    “…Again?”

    The familiar smell of garbage and disinfectant. The smell of his family.

    “I really thought he was going to get married this time… wasn’t the mood between them nice?”

    “It was.”

    “He even gave her a super expensive bag as a gift last time.”

    “What’s the use of a bag? The moment she heard about his job, she left without even looking back.”

    “…Ah.”

    “Where else can you find someone like Deokbae-hyung… It’s just that he’s a janitor. That’s his only flaw.”

    A troubled face, a broom being fiddled with.

    “…Speaking of which, Youngest.”

    “What now?” Sёar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    “Don’t you have anything you want to do besides being a janitor?”

    “Uh… um, no, I don’t.”

    “Really? Nothing?”

    “No, I guess being a janitor is my calling.”

    “What calling does someone who hasn’t even served in the military have…?”

    “Why? And what’s wrong with being a janitor? Yes, it’s hard work, but the money comes in regularly, and it feels rewarding to see things become clean…”

    “…You can’t even date.”

    “Well, that’s fine if I don’t date.”

    Raised eyebrows, a vacuum cleaner forced to a stop.

    “This brat, it’s a crime against women if you don’t date anyone with that face of yours.”

    “Hyung, stop slacking off and get back to work. I have a documentary I want to watch tonight.”

    “That damn documentary sh— hey! Don’t you care about the Foreman?”

    “Why is the Foreman involved here?”

    “There’s no way out for us—we’re already doomed. But shouldn’t you at least give the Foreman a grandchild to dote on?”

    “…”

    “Don’t worry about money; just find a nice woman. We’ll handle the wedding expenses and the Foreman will take care of the newlywed house.”

    “What…?”

    “You know, right? The Foreman is surprisingly wealthy.”

    “…Why should I use that money? Shouldn’t it be for the Foreman’s daughter?”

    “You brat, a son raised close to your heart is better than a damned daughter who ran away from home.”

    A furrowed brow, a small realization.

    “…Hyung.”

    “What?”

    “That’s your idea, isn’t it?”

    “…You can tell?”

    “Of course, it’s pretty obvious when someone who always talks about cars suddenly starts saying things like that.”

    A sigh from Chunsik hyung.

    “Actually, it was eldest brother’s idea.”

    “…Eldest brother? Why?”

    “The fortune teller who came over last time told eldest brother that you’re destined to suffer because of women your whole life, so the sooner you get married the better it is.”

    “…”

    “What did she say again? Something like you’re destined to have a life like Yang Shaoyu1?”

    “Who the hell is Yang Shaoyu? Stop with the nonsense and just finish your work already…”

    James-hyung continued.

    “Hey! Youngest, Chunsik! Are you two still not done?!”

    “Just a little left!”

    “Hurry up and finish quickly! The Foreman said we can call it a day once we’re done with this!”

    Call it a day? Dung Beetle’s grip around his broom tightened immediately.

    * * *

    Yeomyeong relaxed his grip on the sword because he was finally out of breath.

    His legs trembled, and a high-pitched ringing echoed in his ears.

    He took a deep breath and gazed down at the scene he had created in silence.

    The Player’s corpse sprawled over a puddle of blood.

    The current state of his body represented everything he had done to each of the janitors.

    A split chest for Uncle Deokbae, Chunsik-hyung with a severed arm, James-hyung torn in half, the Foreman who had been trampled to death, and… Dung Beetle with his head cut off.

    Strangely enough, he did not feel the emptiness in revenge that the sages and saints spoke of. Instead, he felt a small sense of accomplishment.

    Were the sages wrong? Perhaps it was because his revenge was yet to be concluded.

    No, that must be it because he had only killed the Player.

    He still had too many people he needed to kill in order to restore the dignity of the janitors who could no longer return…

    “…Ah.”

    The moment he had that thought, tears began to flow from his eyes before he even realized it.

    Tears heavy with joy and sorrow, soaked with blood and ash, rolled down his cheeks.

    Just like the tears he shed while making graves for the janitors.

    Yeomyeong calmed himself and wiped his eyes and nose. He then turned his steps toward the Dimensional Portal.

    No, rather, he planned to.

    However, just as he turned around, his tears fell and landed in the Player’s pool of blood and…

    A blindingly bright light filled his vision.

    He reflexively raised his hand to shield his eyes and squinted, but he couldn’t see anything.

    Just in case, he drew up his mana, his skin tingling as he remained guarded for a moment.

    As his pupils adjusted to the light, he could faintly identify the source of the sudden brightness.

    A small, brilliantly shining orb.

    He was familiar with it—the same one Mignium had shown him in a dream when he was headed to Northern Manchuria.

    Back then, when Mignium showed him the orb and had spoken about fate, he didn’t understand what it meant. However, now he was able to grasp it to some extent.

    He couldn’t be sure, but he couldn’t think of a better interpretation.

    Yeomyeong examined the orb with caution. It floated in the air quietly, as if waiting for its owner, not showing any change.

    He found himself reaching for it instinctively. And the moment he grasped the orb…

    The orb turned to powder.

    Yeomyeong waved his hand reflexively, but before he could react, the powdered orb flew through the air and poured over him.

    Was this perhaps the Player’s final struggle? Yeomyeong summoned his mana to shield himself from the orb powder.

    However, the powdered orb phased through his mana like a ghost and was sucked into his chest.

    Yeomyeong immediately unbuttoned his school uniform to inspect his chest and circulated mana through every vein.

    However, no matter how much he checked his body, he couldn’t figure out if anything had changed from before the powder entered him, as if the powder he had just seen was a lie.

    However, the Dimensional Portal didn’t allow more time to ponder over it.

    A heavy vibration that shook not just the altar, but the entire sewer system.

    Yeomyeong buttoned up his school uniform and headed toward the Dimensional Portal on the altar.

    As he approached the Dimensional Portal, climbing up the stone stairs, the ripples of mana caused his hair and uniform to flutter.

    The phenomenon which took the form of a Dimensional Portal, which was opened with distorted mana, began to close.

    The Dimensional Portal right in front of him had the appearance of a black hole splitting the air. All he could see was a deep, black darkness beyond it.

    After briefly spreading his mana to examine the interior, Yeomyeong bit his lip.

    According to the Player, the sewer and everything inside the barrier would be destroyed the moment the Dimensional Portal closed.

    And considering the amount of bubbling mana… the academy outside the barrier wouldn’t be safe either.

    Of course, Yeomyeong hadn’t outrightly rejected the guy’s proposal without any thought.

    The Golden Seal.

    A magic item that could open all locks and seals in this world.

    Although he couldn’t explain it, he had a feeling that this seal could open the closing Dimensional Portal.

    Opening a door and unlocking something was not so different… Yeomyeong felt as if the seal was whispering this to him.

    And the moment he pulled the seal out of his inner pocket and infused it with mana, that whisper became reality.

    A golden magic circle burst forth from the seal, enveloping the Dimensional Portal and its surroundings, drawing back the mana that had been sucked in.

    However, not everything went as Yeomyeong anticipated.

    The amount of mana required to force open the Dimensional Portal far exceeded his imagination.

    Less than a minute after the seal’s magic circle was activated, blood began to drip from Yeomyeong’s mouth.

    * * *

    As Seti slammed her hammer on the sewer floor, the surrounding zombies exploded.

    The destructive power was enough to leave the Saintess and Soe Miri, following her from behind, momentarily speechless.

    A few fiends managed to survive and rushed at Seti, but the Saintess’ bullets pierced their heads.

    “This is neverending.”

    Hearing the footsteps coming from across the sewer, Seti gritted her teeth.

    It felt like more than 20 minutes had passed since they began following the sound of the Dimensional Portal, yet they were now stuck due to the sudden appearance of a horde of zombies and fiends.

    Considering the skills of their party, it was only a matter of time, but it was hard to shake off a strange sense of unease.

    “Soe Miri, can you use any area-of-effect spells?”

    “Area-of-effect spells? Yes, I can, but….”

    “Then get ready. After landing a big one, let’s break through in one go.”

    It was a dangerous, reckless plan that could easily lead to encirclement, but no one opposed it.

    Just as Seti gained their unspoken agreement and began to draw upon the power of the Rainbow-Slashing Thunderstrike, Soe Miri, who had been gazing in the distance, raised her hand to stop her.

    “Wait, I don’t think that’s necessary.”

    “…What?”

    Before Seti could even ask her what she meant by that, the zombies and fiends rushing toward them suddenly stopped in their tracks and began to tremble.

    What was happening? Just as Seti narrowed her eyes to observe their condition, with a sound similar to water balloons bursting, the bodies of the zombies and fiends exploded simultaneously.

    Seti was momentarily speechless as she watched the zombies slowly collapse, spilling an indescribable mass of filth.

    Soe Miri just frowned and said,

    “I think we should just run.”

    “Run?”

    “Right now!”

    As soon as she said that, Soe Miri started to dash across the sewer.

    It was an unexpected sprint, but the Saintess and Seti followed her without a word.

    They stepped on corpses and splattered blood, but all three ignored it and just increased their pace.

    How long did they run?

    As they grew accustomed to the smell of blood in the sewer and got close enough to the Dimensional Portal for the twisted mana to cling to their skin, a brilliant golden mana entered their vision.

    “The Golden Seal?!”

    Seti immediately recognized the source of the light. Before the Saintess could even ask her what the royal seal was, Seti unleashed the Flying Kick technique with all her might and bolted ahead of the party.

    As quick as the arrows shot, she reached the source of the Golden Seal in an instant.

    Amidst the chaos resembling a bomb explosion, there was an ominous stone altar piled high… and a black Dimensional Portal flickering above it.

    Yeomyeong was also there, right in front of the Dimensional Portal, holding the Golden Seal.

    There was no need for explanation or hesitation. Seti immediately jumped onto the altar and landed next to him.

    “Yeom—!”

    Just as she was about to call out his name, she stopped dead in her tracks the moment she saw his condition.

    Blood was gushing from Yeomyeong’s mouth, eyes, and ears as he stood there with his eyes shut, the seal in his hands.

    His blood vessels had burst from the immense amount of mana flowing out of his body.

    Without any hesitation, Seti immediately placed her hand over Yeomyeong’s and infused mana into him.

    The next moment, a dizzying amount of mana surged into the seal.

    Only then did Yeomyeong tilt his head slightly, sensing her presence.

    “Seti? How did you….”

    “Considering all the chaos unfolding, it’s pretty obvious that I’d come, no?”

    “…Ah, that’s true.”

    Yeomyeong replied with a smile, pretending to be at ease. However, seeing the blood-red tears streaming down his face, his smile only made it seem as if he were enduring the pain.

    “…Seti, don’t stay here. Just take a small step back. I’ll call you once this is over.”

    It was a considerate remark that reminded her of her older sister. Suppressing the emotion that made her feel like her heart was about to burst, Seti poured more mana into the seal and replied.

    “I don’t want to.”

    “…”

    “How about this instead. Either we die together, or we live together… which one do you prefer?”

    Just as Yeomyeong was about to answer her question, a frivolous voice interrupted them.

    “Of course, we should live together. What the hell are you talking about?”

    It was the Saintess who had somehow dragged Jeon Yunseong up to the stone altar.

    Glancing back and forth between Yeomyeong and Seti, she then placed her hand on the seal before adding one more thing.

    “But, dying together with Seti doesn’t seem so bad either….”

    “…”

    “…I’m just kidding. Why are you both looking so serious?”

    As the Saintess’s pure mana merged with the seal’s magic circle, the collapsing Dimensional Portal widened further.

    And next… Soe Miri placed her wand on the seal and said.

    “I also think living together would be better. We’re still young, so it’d be a waste if we died.”

    “…”

    “What about you, Yeomyeong?”

    Even though he couldn’t open his eyes because of the tears of blood, Yeomyeong felt as if he was making eye contact with all three girls at the same time.

    Was that why? He swallowed his honest answer without even realizing it and chose the most neutral response.

    “…No comment.”

    Footnotes

    1. The main character of The Cloud Dream of the Nine, a 17th-century Korean novel set in the Chinese Tang dynasty, is widely believed to have been created by Kim Man-Jung, although some dispute his authorship.

    The story follows Hsing-Chen(Or Sungjin in Korean), the youngest monk at a monastery on Lotus Peak in the World of Immortals, who is banished to the World of Mortals (human world) due to his apparent worldly desires. Reborn as Yang Shaoyu, he encounters many romantic entanglements, gathering a substantial harem. However, in the end, all he experiences is revealed to be a dream orchestrated by his master to show him that worldly passions and wealth are ultimately meaningless.